Progress on the Situation at Our Southern Border

The order pauses the 25 percent ad valorem tariff on Mexican-origin goods that had been scheduled to take effect February 4, 2025 under a prior executive order. The pause runs until March 4, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time, to allow the administration time to evaluate whether Mexico's initial steps are sufficient to address illegal migration and drug trafficking. It also withdraws the prior order's exceptions for goods already loaded onto vessels or in transit before the original effective date.

During the pause, the Secretary of Homeland Security — in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the National Security and Homeland Security Advisors — must continue assessing the southern border situation. If conditions worsen or Mexico's steps are deemed insufficient, the President reserves the authority to implement the full tariffs immediately. The order contains a severability clause and standard general provisions.

U.S. importers of Mexican goods, businesses with supply chains dependent on Mexican manufacturing or agriculture, Mexican exporters, and federal agencies charged with assessing border security and diplomatic conditions that will determine whether full tariffs take effect March 4.

The one-month pause gives importers and businesses a short window of relief from a 25 percent tariff that would significantly raise costs on a wide range of goods crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Whether full tariffs ultimately take effect depends entirely on the administration's assessment of Mexico's cooperation by March 4.

The pause is self-executing: duties that were to begin February 4 simply do not take effect until March 4. During the interval, DHS leads an ongoing inter-agency assessment of border conditions, consulting with State, Justice, and White House security advisors. No formal report or finding is required — the President retains discretion to reimpose tariffs immediately if conditions are judged to have worsened or Mexico's steps are deemed insufficient. A severability clause insulates the rest of the order if any provision is struck down.